Section: European Voice (EU)
Clinton eyes Biden for secretary of state
Joe Biden is at the top of the internal short list Hillary Clinton’s transition team is preparing for her pick to be secretary of state, a source familiar with the planning tells POLITICO. This would be the first major Cabinet candidate to go public for a campaign that’s insisted its focus remains on winning the election, and perhaps...
Moldova’s choice: Russia or the West
There may be nine candidates in Moldova’s presidential elections on Sunday, but it really boils down to two options: Russia, or the European Union. Socialist candidate Igor Dodon, a former economy minister and a front-runner in all the opinion polls, is on the record telling a Russian newspaper that his country’s association agreement...
Ukraine’s PM: Things can ‘only get better’
KIEV — To Volodymyr Groysman, Ukraine’s prime minister, questions from Western capitals about Kiev’s commitment to reform are unfathomable. For him, the results speak for themselves. While battling Russian-backed insurgents in the east of the country and stabilizing the economy, which just a year ago seemed to be heading off a cliff,...
EU slaps sanctions on 10 Syrian officials
The European Union on Thursday added 10 more Syrian regime officials to the list of suspects involved in the aggression against Syrian civilians, according to a statement. They include high-ranking military officials and several senior figures linked to President Bashar al-Assad’s government. They have been slapped with a travel ban and...
Parliament awards Sakharov Prize to Yazidi women
Two Yazidi women, who have advocated the plight of survivors of horrific abuse by ISIL in Iraq, have been awarded the European Parliament’s 2016 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, the Parliament’s president Martin Schulz announced on Thursday. Nadia Murad Basee and Lamiya Aji Bashar “are representatives for the Yazidi community...
Romanian lawmakers cancel public broadcaster fees
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) slammed the Romanian parliament on Wednesday for abolishing a license fee for public radio and television and making it rely on state funds. The alliance of public broadcasters around the Continent said the move threatens the independence of Romanian public TV and radio. Making broadcaster TVR and Radio...
Barack Obama to visit Germany, Greece
U.S. President Barack Obama will visit Europe next month, making stops in Germany and Greece. He will arrive in Greece on November 15 and meet with the prime minister and president “and reaffirm our support for ongoing efforts to place the Greek economy on a path to sustainability and renewed prosperity,” the White House said in a statement....
NATO and EU close ranks in bid to halt migrants, counter Russia
NATO and the EU will step up cooperation in response to recent aggressive military activity by Russia, and the alliance will act this week to accept a formal role in support of Operation Sophia, the EU’s effort to stop the flow of migrants through the central Mediterranean, senior NATO officials said Tuesday. The NATO effort in the...
Get ready for Merkexit
Brexit might be the biggest challenge European leaders may be facing in the coming year. But it’s not the only one. The turmoil in the United Kingdom has overshadowed the possibility of another dramatic exit from the European scene — if German Chancellor Angela Merkel decides not to run for a fourth term. Although Merkel is still likely to...
Russia accuses UK of ‘shrinking’ its London embassy
Russian ambassador to the U.K. Alexander Yakovenko lashed at the British government, blaming it for reduced number of staff at the embassy in London. He said British authorities are failing to issue visas for Russians to take up posts at the embassy and replace outgoing staff. “The embassy is shrinking and if it continues the embassy will be...
